


Knot a Problem

by slaydel_connix



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23662465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slaydel_connix/pseuds/slaydel_connix
Summary: Prompt: "Rey’s had a bad week at work, she’s looking forward to a catch up and relaxing massage appointment with her favourite masseuse, (can be Rose, Kaydel, Paige etc). Upon arriving at the massage parlour Rey is told her masseuse has called in sick but Ben is available. Grudgingly Rey accepts but soon finds she definitely does not mind being massaged by Ben."
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Temmin "Snap" Wexley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 91
Collections: Anniversary Fic Exchange 2020





	Knot a Problem

**Author's Note:**

  * For [v3ryvelvet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/v3ryvelvet/gifts).



"I'm so sorry Miss Niima, Gwen is currently unavailable for sessions, even for regular clients."

Rey states dumbly for a moment at the polite but obviously nervous receptionist ("Kaydel" according to her name tag), uncomprehending. She's been coming to see Gwen Phasma for years, and she has never once been unable to keep a scheduled appointment with her favorite massage therapist. It's her one indulgence. Growing up in a mix of foster homes and the streets had given Rey the kind of ruthless frugality that many millennials paid budget experts untold sums to achieve. Despite the fact that she had a well-paying (if not exactly lucrative) job at Resistance Consulting and a healthy savings account, she could never quite let go of the lingering fear that it could all be taken away at a moment's notice. 

To this day, she still squirrelled away cash reserves throughout the small but tidy flat she shared with her best friends Rose and Finn. She still bought meat and produce at a double markdown, despite Finn's concerns over food poisoning, and she still preferred a trip to the local thrift stores and Goodwill when she needed new clothes. At only 26, she was still resolutely on the cheapest suppressants that her doctor told her would still be reliable, and she took trips to Costco and meal prepped like a madwoman in preparation for her heats so she wouldn't be tempted to order delivery. She mooched off of Rose's Hulu and Finn's Netflix and they split the abysmal bottom-tier internet package they were forced to buy from Spectrum three ways. 

Given her own way, Rey would never have indulged in a massage session of her own volition, but she had won a gift card in the raffle at her first Resistance Consulting holiday party. She had been hesitant at first; _what sort of name is First Order Wellness?_ But she had found the front desk of the office nearest her flat to be clean, dimly-lit, and smelling ever so faintly of sandalwood, with gentle and unobtrusive water sounds and polite, professional staff. The front desk was almost always manned by betas, their neutral scents putting her at ease. 

She had been a bit apprehensive when they told her that their only available therapist that day was an alpha, but the moment she met Gwen, the amazonian blonde's polite yet efficient demeanor had immediately settled any anxiety Rey had about her massage therapist's designation, and she was too blissed out by the end of their first session to string together a coherent thought about designation politics. It was a moot point anyway, since aside from being supernaturally gifted at the massage arts and wickedly funny, Gwen Phasma had smelled remarkably inoffensive for an alpha. Neither the acrid stench of the particularly unpleasant alphas she avoided like the plague nor the warm, welcoming aroma of the rare alpha that made her omega perk up with interest. The last such alpha had been Poe Dameron, the roguishly handsome VP of marketing at Resistance. She had briefly entertained the idea of asking him out, but then Armitage Hux, the prickly and aloof Omega who headed up the legal department, had started working there and Poe's attentions were abruptly and wholeheartedly occupied.

She couldn't begrudge Hux of course. The way they behaved around one another was.. well, sweet wasn't exactly the word for it, considering the decidedly combative nature of most of their workplace interactions, but it was nice. Despite their legendary staff meeting showdowns, Poe never failed to hoard the Irish breakfast teabags as soon as the order came in, knowing that it was the only tea that Hux enjoyed. And likewise Hux could always be counted on to cheerfully and rather forcefully drag Poe from his desk when he forgot to take a break for lunch and his IM missives became frankly unbearable. The following year they had disappeared together for the week of Hux's scheduled heat leave and had returned with their scents inexorably mixed and matching airs of smug superiority to go along with their obvious mating bites. Rey had been genuinely glad for them, if a little wistfully envious of their obvious bliss. 

Rey prided herself on being a modern, independent omega. She paid her own way in the world. Under the somehow both negligent and controlling "care" of her last foster father Unkar Plutt, she had scrimped and saved and studied to ensure that her grades would be good enough to get her into a good school and escape him for good. Once there, she had paid for her classes at the prestigious Chandrila University by working double shifts at Maz's diner and applying doggedly to every possible scholarship and Omega Higher Education Initiative grant she could find. It had been gruelling and exhausting, but it had all been worth it when she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in advertisement and marketing and the offers from headhunters started pouring in. _See? I don't need an alpha to take care of me. I can do it all by myself._

But despite her education, her accomplishments, and the life she had built for herself, there was the small, broken part of herself that desperately wanted a family, wanted someone to choose her. The child that had been thrown away like trash by parents she couldn't even remember hungered for it. She felt that instinctive protective urge, bordering on feral, when she saw the wide, hungry eyes of the homeless teenagers who lurked in the parking lots of the less savory establishments she frequented. Whenever she saw them, she always managed to discreetly "drop" a few loose bills, or a small food item. It wasn't much, but she'd been there, and she knew that outright charity was never something to be trusted. Those nights were always the loneliest, her heart heavy with sadness and a yearning for a family of her own and morosely pondering what was so wrong with her that no one had ever wanted her. 

It surely must be something, since it wasn't like she didn't put herself out there. She had tried every dating app known to mankind, and she had been on so many first dates she had lost count. She knew how many second dates though. Eight. Most guys her age were looking for a quick fuck, which was fine, but not what Rey had in mind. She had learned very quickly not to lead with her designation if she wanted any chance of men even attempting to get to know her. She had the best luck with betas. She had imagined herself building a future with her most recent dating app connection, a good-natured, affable beta who had made her laugh-cry on their first date with his truly atrocious celebrity impersonations. Of course that, like everything else good in her life, hadn't lasted very long.

"It's nothing personal, Rey." Snap had been trying very hard to look as though he wasn't avoiding eye contact as he walked around her room gathering his fallen clothes. "Omegas are just too risky. It's not your fault, but if you meet the right alpha, where does that leave me? It's just biology." Rey had never been exactly thrilled with her designation or the hassles that came with it. But she had never before felt so ashamed of it. Her eyes had stung with hot tears of mortification, and a potent mix of rejection and humiliation had formed a painful lump in her throat. "We can still be friends, though, right?" Rey had nodded, not trusting herself to speak, wrapping her threadbare Ikea comforter more tightly to protect her naked and vulnerable body, only breaking into sobs after the door to her flat had closed with a resounding 'click.' That had been two weeks ago to the day.

She'd been rejected before of course, and it was never exactly fun, but she had really _liked_ Snap. And she had thought he'd liked her, too. In the end, none of it had mattered. Not their shared love of cheesy martial arts flicks and cheap takeout Chinese food. Not the surprised smile on his face after she had soundly thrashed him at bowling on their second date. Not the way she had pouted after he had soundly thrashed _her_ at Smash Brothers until he had begun placating her with soft, sweet kisses that made her toes curl. Not the way he had been so determined to make her cum first, the only time she'd been able to do so with a partner. Not even the way he had held her after she came apart, and burst into mortifying tears. In the end, all that mattered was her designation. _Omega._

So add that dating SNAFU to the hellish last push of the Holdo contract at Resistance Consulting that she'd been working on for the past 6 months and Rey had officially had it. She had somehow managed to stop herself from drunkenly messaging Snap after she stumbled into her bedroom last night (this morning?) after drinking half a box of Franzia and stalking Poe's Instagram and crying while Finn and Rose alternated between vowing vengeance on Snap and making moon eyes at each other. As a reward she had sleepily made an appointment using First Order Wellness's app before collapsing into her lonely bed.

Which led her to now: slightly hungover, exhausted, emotionally unstable, and silently dissociating as the increasingly concerned receptionist nervously toyed with her clipboard and pen. 

"Ma'am?"

"But... I have an appointment?" Rey winced at her unintentionally gruff tone. "I mean, obviously she's allowed to take time off, but I... really need this appointment. Do you know if she'll be available tomorrow?" 

"I'm sorry ma'am, she's having to take care of... a personal issue; we don't really know how long it will take to resolve." Poor Kaydel looked distinctly uncomfortable, which meant odds were it was for breakthrough rut leave. Breakthrough ruts and heats were exceedingly rare, only occurring when an alpha and omega were almost perfectly compatible mates. Rey had never even heard of it happening to someone in real life. She felt a sudden stab of jealousy followed quickly by a wash of shame. She was happy for Gwen, honestly. They had formed a solid and surprisingly deep friendship over the years, Gwen's acerbic remarks and unflinchingly honest dry humor a refreshing change from Rose's relentless, although well-meaning, optimism. Plus she was a designated. An alpha. She understood in a way that Rose and Finn, both betas, never would. But Gwen was also her last bastion of single solidarity. She couldn't help but feel as though she was being abandoned all over again, despite her genuine well-wishes for her friend. 

Now she felt even more forlorn. She deserved this massage damn it, and she was going to get it. "Is there any other female therapist available?"

"I'm so sorry ma'am, she was supposed to be working tonight; she had to leave very suddenly this morning, so I'm afraid there's no other female massage therapists available right now. We do have Ben, he's very good! Because of our scheduling issue, this session will be on us."

Rey didn't have anything against male massage therapists, but she was still smarting from her breakup and really didn't want to have a man seeing her in any kind of vulnerable state. She balked at the mention of a male name, but then the siren call of free massage stopped her in her tracks, her instinctual frugality suddenly warring with her need to protect herself emotionally. 

"Oh... is he, uh, designated?" 

"Yes, he's an Alpha, but I guarantee that he's very professional. He's actually the owner, and he's received many glowing reviews."

Frugality scored a decisive victory. "Okay, that sounds great."

"Excellent! I'll show you to your room!" 

Rey followed her bobbing blonde ponytail, feeling the telltale nervous fluttering in her stomach. _It's going to be fine_ , she scolded herself. _I've met loads of alphas. Worst case scenario is he smells atrocious and I have to breathe through my mouth for an hour._

Kaydel showed her to an unfamiliar room, flicked on an oil diffuser, and left her with a jaunty "enjoy your massage!" 

She eyed her surroundings warily as she stripped out of her baggy Chandrila University sweatshirt and ratty leggings. It was tastefully decorated in blues and greens, with a small water feature in one corner and generic but lovely landscape photographs and acupressure and reflexology charts on the walls. The lighting was dim, but not to the point where she couldn't see what she was doing. The oil diffuser was emitting a gentle stream of sandalwood and teak scented steam. Rey toed off her ballet flats and hesitated before resolutely removing her tank top and sports bra, rolling her clothes into a bundle and shoving it unceremoniously under the small upholstered chair under a diagram of the lymphatic system. 

Hurriedly, she climbed on the massage table, hissing in surprise when she realized it was heated. She groaned aloud and wriggled a little in pleasure, the warmth of the table seeping through the smooth fabric of the clearly high-quality sheets combined with the sumptuous cover feeling positively sinful against her bare skin. Rey reached up and removed the hairtie that kept her long, chestnut locks up in a messy bun, combing her fingers through her hair and taking a brief moment to regret not at least using some dry shampoo. Oh well, nothing to be done now. 

She was startled out of her musings by a soft but firm knock on the door. "O-oh, come in, I'm ready."

The door opened softly and then a low, velvety voice said "You must be Rey, nice to meet you, I'm Ben."

She had a moment to wonder at how his voice could sound so nice before she was suddenly struck dumb by the most delicious scent she'd ever smelled. It was musky and earthy and warm and spicy and she was suddenly salivating and growing wet between her thighs and oh. Oh no. _This_ was the worst case scenario.


End file.
